


follow the lights

by lumenera



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Background Hinata Shouyou/Sakusa Kiyoomi, Established Relationship, Hong Kong, M/M, Post-Canon, travel fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:28:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27371938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lumenera/pseuds/lumenera
Summary: "Impromptu road trip?" They say at the same time, turning to each other. Motoya's expression morphs from surprise to delight."I've always wanted to visit Hong Kong," Rin muses."Why not?" For a trip like this, it's not the matter of where, but who. And with Rin, Motoya—Motoya would run anywhere.
Relationships: Komori Motoya/Suna Rintarou
Comments: 10
Kudos: 35





	follow the lights

**Author's Note:**

> [This Town, Kygo ft Sasha Sloan"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pwttmAYCTw)

“Rin, how’s it going?” No response. Motoya zips his suitcase closed with a content sigh, tapping the little circle on his phone. A smile finds its way to his face when he scrolls back up his notes, everything checked off. “Rin?”

He peeks his head out of their bedroom to find Rintarou on the couch, eyes closed, a blanket draped over his legs.

“Are you done packing?” Motoya drops his tone to a whisper when a realization hits him. “Wait, you’re actually taking a nap.”

Rin stirs to life, groaning. “Now I’m not.”

Motoya suppresses a smirk. Rin laces his hands together with a sigh and stretches them forward.

“Thanks for waking me up.”

Motoya strolls over and presses a kiss to Rin’s forehead. “You’re welcome. We’re leaving soon, you should be packing.”

“You would do it for me if you loved me.”

“That’s blackmail.”

“Would you believe me if I said I was already packed?” Rin sighs. “Don’t even answer that, I can see it in your eyes. I’m packed.”

“Are you now?” Motoya gives him a skeptical glance.

“See for yourself.” He points, and Motoya follows his finger. There Rin’s suitcase sits by the genkan, zipped and waiting.

“Great,” Motoya sits himself on Rin’s legs, “so I can join you.”

“Get off. We leave in like, 5 minutes.”

“Make room for me, then.”

“Didn’t you hear what I just said?” He scoots over nevertheless, and Motoya settles himself back down. Rin sighs. “Fine.”

“Are you sure you’re packed?”

“I’m sure. We’re only staying one night, after all.”

“Your suit? Wallet? Car keys?”

“Yes, mom.”

“Shut up.”

Rin snags the keys of the coffee table, rolling off their couch. “Get your suitcase.”

In the car, Motoya fiddles with the radio, settling himself in for the hour-long drive to Hayama Isshiki. Rin shuts the trunk of the car closed, sliding into the driver’s seat, a hand reaching out to turn down the volume. Motoya turns it back up. Rin moves to turn it back down, their hands brushing as Motoya pulls away.

“We’re not doing this,” Rin says firmly. Motoya spins the volume wheel back up. And thus, their car ride begins, alternating in legs of silence and noise, Sekai No Owari to birds chirping and breezes through open windows as they travel farther and farther away from the city.

Rintarou drops him by the curb while he goes to park(read: Motoya opens the door in a still-moving vehicle). There, Hinata and Kiyoomi are waiting.

“Komori-san! Suna-san! You made it!” Hinata waves, beaming. Motoya pushes his sunglasses up and hugs him.

“Hey, Hinata. Of course we made it.”

Behind them, the car beeps as Rin locks the doors, making his way over. “You forgot something,” he says to Motoya, shoving his suitcase at him. “Hello, Sakusa. Hello, Hinata.”

“Did I now? Thanks for carrying it.”

“Hello!” Hinata bounces on the balls of his feet, all smiles. “You guys are the first ones here. Everyone else should start showing up in the next hour or so.”

“Well, _someone_ had to show up early to keep Kiyoomi in line,” Motoya jokes. Kiyoomi gives him a look, unreadable through his mask, but Motoya gets the meaning all the same. It’s far from the first time he’s been given that look, and it’ll be far from the last. Motoya rolls his eyes. “Kiyo, you’re happy I’m here. Don’t kid yourself.”

“I’m drowning you when I get the chance,” Kiyoomi replies.

“Omi-omi, be nice,” Hinata chides. “Now is not the time for death threats.”

Kiyoomi instantly shuts up and shows them to their room, with a balcony overlooking the beach. Once Hinata’s out of earshot, though, Motoya whispers, “Whipped.”

Kiyoomi shoots him a glare that would incinerate him on the spot. Motoya decides that it’s best to double lock his hotel door tonight, because once he’s said his best man speech, Kiyoomi doesn’t need him anymore, and thus will be free to kill him as he pleases. It’s probably better to stop antagonizing him now before Kiyoomi elects to skip the best man speeches altogether.

He and Rin make themselves at home in their hotel room while they wait. Rin's already taken his suit out and tossed it on their bed, seating himself in an armchair by the balcony. Motoya smooths out the fabric with the back of his hand.

“Rin, you don’t want it to crease.”

“There’s an iron somewhere if I need it,” Rin says flippantly. “I’ll be fine. When’s the ceremony starting?”

“In two or three hours, I think. At sundown.” Motoya looks at his watch. “We’ve got time until the wedding starts.”

 _Kiyoomi’s wedding._ It's still hard for Motoya to believe his baby cousin is getting married. Kiyoomi, of course, objects to the title, but the nine-month age gap speaks for itself. Motoya’s aunt, Kiyoomi’s mom, likes to joke that she saw her sister with a baby and went, _Ah yes, how intriguing. I want one_ , even though she already had two children in secondary school _._ He smiles ruefully, thinking back to their first day at Itachiyama. Now, they’re adults, with adult jobs and adult lives.

“Are you being nostalgic again?”

“Why not?”

Rin snorts. “Okay, Mori.”

Motoya slides open the balcony door, letting sea-salted wind breathe onto his face. When was the last time he’d been to the beach? His mind supplies old memories of skipping rocks, ocean waves, and Kiyoomi on a beach towel, content to sit under his umbrella and read while his older siblings fling sand at each other. Not for years, at the very least. He pulls up the other armchair from the other side of the room, positioning it so he’s right in front of the balcony, with his phone in hand, catching up on the news.

When the clock strikes five, they change into their suits. Motoya takes a second to admire the sleek lines of Rin’s tailored jacket, how the dark grey fabric makes him look like a model. That smile of his and the fading sunlight illuminate Rin’s face in all its ethereal glory — sharp eyes and sharper cheekbones.

Motoya wants to remind himself how lucky he is to have him, but this isn’t luck; he knows better than to say that. It’s the timeless preservation of a relationship not made with words, but feelings on a two-way street, each one of them taking a step closer to each other until they meet in the middle. It's in the weathering of how sea glass is made, time and time again with the waves crashing over the shore until the rough edges are polished, and something insignificant becomes something beautiful.

A soft breeze riffles through the strands of his hair, blowing them every which way. They left the balcony open. He should probably close it. But first, Motoya reaches for the dark blue tie thrown on a nearby chair and fits it around Rin’s neck, sliding the knot upwards until it rests against his throat. Then, Rin does the same for him, fingers twisting the tie until it lays flat on Motoya’s chest.

“We make quite a pair,” Motoya murmurs, looking at their reflection. Rin nods.

There’s a knock on the door. It’s Kozume Kenma, Hinata’s best man, letting him know that Kiyoomi and Hinata want them for last-minute wedding preparations. Rin lightly kisses him on the check.

“See you outside.”

Kiyoomi and Hinata say their vows under the setting sun, and then the real fun begins. Chairs are cleared, and in their place go torches, flickering under the night sky.

Guests ditch their three-piece suits and dresses for tank tops and shorts. Motoya helps unfurl volleyball nets while Rin sneaks some food, though he isn’t sure where Rin got it from. They sign their names on a large poster that indicates a tournament bracket, and to their luck, they get paired up against Kiyoomi and Hinata themselves.

He and Rin steal a set from the newlyweds, but Hinata gets them back, as easily as the sand dips and rises, steady on his feet while Rin inhales in a mouthful of sand with a particularly nasty receive. Kiyoomi gets by with a mask so the sand doesn't affect him as badly, but for every point they earn, Hinata tugs it down — and Kiyoomi — for a kiss.

It’s quite a thing to see the change from crowd-hating Kiyoomi to shamelessly-kissing-his-husband-in-front-of-anything Kiyoomi, but Motoya supposes that’s what love does. He’s inclined to sneak an affection glance at Rin for thinking that, so he turns his head. Rin, however, is still floored — literally — from his sand eating receive, and it only makes him duck his head and grin harder, sneaking in a laugh.

In the end, they lose their game, and Sakura and Hinata advance to the next round, facing Kageyama Tobio and his date, Kunimi Akira. It’s strange for Motoya to look around and see a mixture of famous volleyball players and normal, day to day people. Hoshiumi Korai and Ushijima Wakatoshi face off against Oikawa Tooru of the Argentinian national team and Iwaizumi Hajime. Tsukishima Kei of the Sendai frogs and another Karasuno alum play against Kozume teamed up with another male he vaguely recognizes from MSBY games, a Fukurodani alumni.

After beach volleyball is dinner, a three-course fusion-style meal. Seated at the table reserved for family, Motoya gets well acquainted with Hinata Natsu, who, as Hinata so eloquently put it, with a hiccup, betrayed her flesh and blood to run track at Shiratorizawa. They sit across from each other, rolling their eyes at each other when Hinata decides upon spoon-feeding Kiyoomi. Kiyoomi, of course, lets him, like the whipped husband he has shown himself to be. Natsu shakes her head and stabs her salmon fillet. Motoya takes pity on her and pulls out his phone to exchange numbers with her, promising to help her get out of situations where she has to sit through extensive shows of PDA.

Natsu just laughs and says, “I’ll hold to you that promise.”

Motoya regrets taking pity on her; she doesn’t need it. He’s never been more scared of someone else than he has now. Noticing Natsu favorites the contact doesn’t help either. His eyes anxiously dart left, then right, not quite sure what to make of the situation he’s now found himself in.

“That girl breathes fire,” Rin says in his ear, leaning over. Motoya gives a slight nod, out of words to say, lest he digs himself another hole.

The newlyweds make their toasts, and then Motoya has to make his speech, as best man. But first, everyone sits in silence as they watch the proposal video, shaky and grainy, but when Hinata goes down on one knee, the footage stills for just a moment. Moyota hears the _aws_ in the background as on screen, Kiyoomi’s hand flies to his mouth.

“He cried,” Hinata mock-whispers. “Just thought you’d like to know that.”

The video ends with them kissing the literal daylights out of each other after Hinata slips on the ring, probably because the video taker(Miya Atsumu) didn’t want to film it anymore. Kiyoomi confirms this.

“Hi,” Motoya waves with a small smile, “if you don’t know me, I’m Komori Motoya, and Kiyoomi is my baby cousin. But, he did get married first, so I suppose he’s not so much of the baby of the family anymore, is he?” A laugh ripples through the room; Kiyoomi frowns at him. Motoya simply gives him another smile that says, _You knew what you signed up for when you asked. Let me speak._

Kiyoomi’s shoulders drop. Motoya continues, barely holding back his laughter. “The best thing about my cousin is that he’s very diligent, as you should know. He doesn’t like leaving things unfinished. And in his relationship...he especially doesn’t like leaving things unfinished. I was sure they were going to date for quite a few more years at the least, but Hinata beat him to the punch. A welcome surprise, I suppose, I’m not sure how else I’m supposed to put it. Well, I wish you two a very happy marriage.” He raises his champagne glass of ginger ale. He’ll spare Kiyoomi this time. It’s his wedding, after all.

“A toast, to the new couple.” Motoya aims his smile at Kiyoomi. _See? I didn’t screw up your wedding. Have faith, dear cousin._

 _I don’t believe you,_ Kiyoomi’s gaze says. _I’m waiting for it._

_Your loss. I’m not the one losing sleep._

Across the room, hands lift glasses back at him, and they drink together. 

There’s one final activity for the night, and it’s the bouquet toss. Motoya doesn’t know how he ended up in the center of the floor, but he’s there now, with no means of escape. Hinata steps forward and turns his back to the crowd, flinging the flowers behind him. Motoya turns away for one second — and the flowers land in his arms.

Someone in the crowd whistles. He freezes, his cheeks reddening. Rin appears by his side and steers him away as the attention of the crowd turns back to Hinata and Kiyoomi.

"They're just flowers," Rintarou murmurs. "It's alright. They don't mean anything. It's just a tradition."

“I’m not ready to get married.” Motoya exhales a breath. “It’s just — I don’t really know how to explain it. But I’m not ready.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Rin soothes, plucking the bouquet from Motoya’s hands and tossing it somewhere behind him. “There. See? No harm done.”

"Are you sure?" Motoya asks.

"I'm sure." He rests his head on Rin’s chest, Rin wrapping an arm around him. “We’ll say congratulations, then we can head to our room.”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

Soon enough, the party dies down and people retire for the night. Hinata and Kiyoomi are still in the thick of it, so he and Rin wait until the majority of the guests have cleared out before approaching the couple.

“Thank you for coming,” Hinata says, eyes sparkling. He and Kiyoomi are still attached at the hip, like they have been almost all day.

“Thank you for having us,” Rin responds. “Once, again, congratulations.”

“Of course! It wouldn’t be a wedding without you two.”

And with that, they head to their room and prepare for bed.

The next morning, they wake bright and early to see Kiyoomi and Hinata off for their honeymoon. Hinata’s smiling, and Kiyoomi’s all set with his convenience store coffee, suitcases by their sides. Beside them, Natsu snaps pictures as they wave, driving away.

Then, he and Rin climb into their own car and start the trip home. This time, Motoya drives, and Rin opts for his own music, fiddling with his phone until it connects. He rolls down the windows, letting the wind blow in his face.

* * *

  
  


Halfway home, Motoya realizes his throat is dry, and he’d left his water bottle at home. It’s not a far walk, but it is rather bothersome, at the very least, in the heat. Letting himself into their apartment complex, he takes the stairs up two at a time, a tote bag of groceries swinging from his arm.

The phone rings even before he opens his door. Motoya answers on the second ring, tucking his phone between his ear and shoulder as he digs through his pocket for his keys. He can’t skip this call, otherwise, he’ll never hear the end of it.

"When are you getting married?" Takahashi Haruko cajoles into his ear.

"Hi to you too, Auntie." He winces, thumbing the lower volume button before flipping through his assorted keys. He’s never remembered having this many before on his keychain, but there they all are.

“Oh, _hi to you too, Auntie_.” His aunt mimics. “I thought you’d be more excited to hear from me.”

“Well, I am, but you always keep calling about my marital status. I dunno, maybe you could start with _how’s your day, Motoya? What did you have for breakfast?_ ”

“Toya-chan, I thought you’ve learned by now. Besides, you only answer the same way. _It was fine, Auntie. I had miso this morning._ ” Two of them can play this game, and if anything, Motoya’s the one at risk here. Takahashi Haruko, his mother’s eldest sister, taught him and Kiyoomi how to mimic each other’s voices when they were younger.

“So when are you getting married?” Her voice cuts through Motoya’s thoughts. “I saw the bouquet toss.”

“I don’t know. It’s barely been a day, couldn’t you have waited a little while longer to start this?”

His aunt plows on as if he hadn’t said anything at all. "You brought that boy to Kiyoomi's wedding, Suna-kun? What a lovely boy, that one. I rather liked him. Speaking of lovely boys, Shouyou is an absolute delight. Where did Kiyoomi find him?"

"They play on the same team, surely Kiyo told you that. I thought that was common knowledge in the family. And yes, Rin is wonderful." Motoya could talk about Rin for hours, but for now, he suppresses it with a smile and a nod. Maybe when he’s more situated, where he can actually sit down and chat, he’ll tell her everything he wants to about his boyfriend. The door swings open and he kicks off his shoes, slipping on his house sandals.

"I'm not getting any younger, Motoya-chan,” his aunt chides, even though she’d probably be kicking his butt for years to come without trouble. “I want you married in my lifetime.”

"I know. Maybe soon." He switches his phone to his other ear, setting the tote bag of groceries on the kitchen counter. Beef goes in the refrigerator, rice flour in the panty. He checks the eggs again to make sure they didn’t crack, then slides them into the refrigerator as well.

"I just want to see you happy." She softens her tone. Motoya shuts the fridge door. "Your mom would want that too, you know."

"I know." It's a bittersweet smile that makes its way to his mouth, lingering for only a moment. He hangs the empty tote bag on the pantry door, taking a seat on a barstool, resting his elbows on the countertop. “We’ll see how things go, but I won’t make any promises.”

“Alright.” She accepts it for now, but both of them know that’s not the last of it. “Call soon, okay? Whenever you’re free, I know you’re busy, but I want to hear your voice more often.”

“Of course, Auntie. I’ll try.”

The call ends, and he just sits there, unsure what to do next. Rin comes home to find him bleakly staring at the blank screen of his phone; for minutes or hours, he’s not sure.

"Another call from your aunt?" he asks sympathetically. Rintarou's also been on the receiving end of all the when will you get married calls, at least, from his relatives that will still talk to him.

"Yeah," Motoya says. "After Kiyoomi's wedding, I'm the last one unmarried."

"Try being the only grandchild." They laugh together. Motoya shakes his head, his lips curling upward while pressed together, holding back a strange smile.

Everyone is settling down. Kiyoomi and Hinata have gotten hitched, and Rin's told him that Osamu plans on proposing to Yukie soon. But Motoya thinks he's attended enough weddings for a lifetime, even if the next wedding might be his own. He's just not ready yet, and he knows Rin won't pressure him into doing anything that he doesn't want to do. And for the record, Rin confesses, he's not ready either. That's okay. Both of them are more than okay with waiting.

"Impromptu road trip?" they say at the same time, turning to each other. Motoya's expression morphs from surprise to delight.

"I've always wanted to visit Hong Kong," Rin muses.

"Why not?" For a trip like this, it's not the matter of where, but who. And with Rin, Motoya — Motoya would run anywhere.

December brings a lull in their schedule, with volleyball not due to start up again until the new year passes. Kiyoomi and Hinata — Motoya supposes he should call him Shouyou now — return from their honeymoon positively glowing. He’s all for adorable couples, especially if it makes Kiyoomi happy, but if he has to spend another minute in their presence, with Kiyoomi literally falling over himself to meet Shouyou's every whim, no matter how small, Motoya _will_ hurl himself into oncoming traffic. And Rin won't be able to stop him, because he'll be right there, step for step.

He yawns. A nap sounds quite appealing at the moment; does he have anything else he needs to do today? It’s far too early to start dinner, and they got groceries three days ago. He eases himself into the couch, into the little Motoya-shaped dent there, his phone lighting up. It’s Rin, texting him some plane tickets.

Later that night, they book their flight three days from now. It’s all happening so fast, but at the same time, it’s not quick enough.

Rin meets his gaze, closing the laptop and setting it on the coffee table in front of them. “Let’s go on an adventure, love.”

Motoya puts his head in his lap and closes his eyes. Rin strokes his hair, his touch feather-light.

“Can I kiss you?”

“Not if I kiss you first.” 

Motoya beats him to the punch with a soft peck on his mouth, though Rin doesn’t quite seem to care he lost their battle of wits, leaning down to kiss him again. 

“So, are you going to pack on time?” Motoya asks, after they stop making out.

“You say that I like I won’t.”

“Last — ”

Rin holds a finger up to Motoya’s mouth, silencing him. “I was done packing before you were, don’t you start. Nope. Nope.” 

Motoya scrunches up his nose. Rintarou bares his teeth.

True to his word, Rin does pack on time. It’s Motoya running around for last-minute items, probably overpacking again. _But it’s fine,_ he reasons with himself. He’s going to enjoy himself regardless.

They take the train to Haneda to catch their flight, boarding the plane in the late afternoon. Once they’re up in the air, Rin props up his phone on the little plastic tray, and they watch a Black Jackal-Red Falcons game, pre-downloaded before the flight. They can't really analyze the plays from a screen so small, but that doesn't stop Rin from making little comments, mostly about Atsumu pissing off Aran.

“They can’t make it anymore obvious?” asks Motoya, when the Jackals call a timeout and Kiyoomi and Hinata sit side by side on the bench, sides touching as they drink their water. The camera pans past their faces and onto Bokuto, who is clearly thrilled for some reason, and Atsumu, who is just as clearly not thrilled.

Rin shrugs. “They trend on Twitter a lot.”

Motoya laughs, louder than he means to, and is instantly chastised by the lady across the aisle. He stops laughing in an attempt to look more professional. Professional would be his middle name, if he had a middle name. “Sorry.”

She turns away, satisfied. He and Rin lock eyes, then quietly burst into laughter again, careful to keep the sound under control.

The match ends, leaving them with roughly an hour and a half before they land. Rin shares his earbuds with him, and they listen to a playlist Osamu threw together. Motoya checks on his game of Neko Atsume.

He taps Rin on the shoulder, pausing their music. “Look, the cat I named after Osamu is here.”

Rin snorts. “Osamu as a cat, imagine that.”

“And see?” Motoya points. “There’s one for Kiyo.”

“The grumpy one.”

“Yep.”

“Where’s mine?”

Motoya opens up the catbook to show him.

“Why does my personality say _lady killer?_ ”

“I thought the cat looked cute?” Laughter spills out in waves. “If we get a real cat, then maybe it’ll have a different personality.”

“No, we’re not getting a cat.”

Motoya pouts, lips puckered, and Rin swoops in for a kiss. The lady across the aisle is definitely glaring at him. If she didn’t like him from the laughter, then she definitely loathes him now.

“Keep it down,” she says, tone icy cold. Motoya can’t tell if she just doesn’t like the younger generation, public affection, or both, but he gives her a smile nevertheless, a picture-perfect professional.

The plane lands soon enough, and once they clear customs and retrieve their luggage, Rin flags down a taxi to take them to their Airbnb in Lok Fu. It’s a little apartment on the sixth floor, so they take the elevator. They crawl into the queen bed, Rin turns off the lights, and they doze off to sleep before Motoya even knows it.

Waking up tangled in limbs and warmth that spills over from his heart makes the sunlight in his eyes bearable. He tries to cover his eyes, but sometime during the night, Rintarou made an arms-and-legs cage, trapping him. Motoya settles for burying his head in the crook of Rin's neck so early light doesn't burn his eyes. Rin stirs to life.

“Mornin,” he says sleepily.

“Good morning,” Motoya says. “Sleep well?”

“Might have been the best night of sleep in my life.”

Motoya shifts, hand reaching for the covers to ease himself out. He’s trapped.

"Mori, stay. It's cold."

"I'll be back in a sec, Rin." He doesn't want to move, but his current need to go to the bathroom outweighs his desire to stay in bed.

"Mori," Rintarou says again, hand resting on Motoya's hair.

A laugh escapes him. "Rin, I gotta go to the bathroom."

With a sigh, Rintarou releases him. “Come back soon.”

When he returns, Rintarou tugs him closer, an arm flung over his shoulder. Motoya's hand presses into Rin’s warm chest, and he closes his eyes. He could get used to this.

“Eventually, we’ll have to get up. We didn’t come all this way just to spend it in bed.”

“Don’t rush it, we’re on vacation.”

“Okay,” Motoya relents. Rin’s right; after all, they are on vacation. He closes his eyes, listening to Rin’s heartbeat beat steadily in time.

Eventually, though, they do get up. Motoya takes the stairs two at a time, hand trailing over the banister.

“Don’t fall.”

“I’m not the one on my phone.”

Downstairs is a St Honore cake shop that Motoya has deemed suitable for breakfast. By the entrance is a stack of trays below a rod of tongs, next display case after display case, filled with freshly made baked goods. Rintarou makes a beeline for the pastry section; Motoya browses the buns. He walks closer and runs a hand over the plastic packaging, flattening it down. Sure enough, it's a bread turtle, with a chocolate shell. He decides right there and then that he has to get it.

Rin comes over, pineapple bun in hand. "Found something you like?"

Motoya shows him the turtle. Rin fixes him with a wry smile. Every single time, Motoya falls in love with that smile, from the way his eyes crinkle up, sparkling, to his mouth, half teasing yet fond.

"Motoya."

"Yeah?"

"You're staring again."

“And?” He doesn’t exactly think his next words through. “What if I want to?”

“We’re in public. Shush.”

Motoya sticks his tongue out at him.

They line up at the cashier, and, with one swipe of their Octopus cards they got last night, they pay and step outside, back into the lively world of the city. Motoya spots a bench on the other side of the road, overlooking a one-block park. They sit down and unwrap their breakfast, watching a hoard of grandmothers do their morning tai chi on the grass.

"I wish our team could synch up like that," Rin jokes.

Motoya tries to imagine the Raijins doing tai chi; he can't. Instead, he takes a bite into his bun. It’s soft and sweet, and he nibbles on it in small morsels to fully relish in the experience. Rintarou folds up the wrapping and tucks it away into his pocket, slinging an arm around Motoya's shoulder and drawing him closer.

"You're a monster for eating the head first."

"You were going to say that no matter how I ate him,” Motoya says through a mouthful of dough. “He's a bread turtle."

"Still. Hurry up, I wanna get a headstart on exploring.”

“I’m not the slow one,” Motoya smirks, and that earns him a punch to the arm. He polishes off the turtle in a few more bites. “Okay, ready when you are.”

They walk around the city, hopping on and off the subway, exploring the sites. They duck in and out of buildings, so small, so insignificant under the vast city, soaring high above them, but every moment is paradise.

“I need to get out of Japan more.”

“No, you need to get out of Tokyo. There’s plenty to see in Japan if you know where to look.”

“Like Hyogo?”

“Yeah. Come home with me. Eat a meal with my parents. It’s never official until you’ve eaten a meal with the parentals.”

“Oh?” Motoya raises an eyebrow at him. “So what have these last few years been? Practice for when it’s official?”

Rin glowers. “You know what I mean.”

“No, I don’t.” The corner of his mouth quirks up. “Please, enlighten me, my dear _practice_ boyfriend.”

“I’m breaking up with you.”

“No, you’re not.” Motoya pokes his chest. “Nice try, you’re stuck with me until the end of time.”

“It’ll be soon, then. The end of the world as we know it.”

“Oh, don’t be like that. Fine, I’m sorry for calling you my practice boyfriend.” He sighs, shaking his head, biting down his smile. “You’re the best in the world and I would love to have dinner with your parents because apparently, we haven’t yet.”

“We haven’t.”

“No, I think we have. Three years ago, or something like that.”

“Well,” Rin says dryly, “I’m sure you won’t mind having dinner with them again.”

“Why not? Speaking of food, I’m hungry. Lunch?”

“Lunch.”

One Google search and ten minutes later, they’re seated at a table for two, with curry fish balls, _xiao long bao_ , sticky rice, and _lo-bak gao_ adorning the space in front of them. Motoya’s mouth waters.

“There’s no way we can eat this all.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“No,” Motoya scoffs, but Rin is determined, and there’s no stopping a determined Rin.

“Now it is.”

Motoya presses his lips together and narrows his eyes. “Should I be concerned?”

“Absolutely not.”

“You saying that doesn’t help.”

To top it off, Rin orders egg tarts for dessert, a further indulgence in all the food that Hong Kong has to offer. It’s food they're probably not supposed to be eating because they're professional athletes, but they're not professional anything. They're just Rin and Motoya, simple as that. 

For the afternoon, they walk Victoria Harbor on the edge of Hong Kong Island after the ferry drops them off, admiring the view. Motoya snaps a few photos, pictures of the water, but some are of Rin when he isn’t looking, gazing out over the railing. He favorites them before sliding his phone back into his pocket. The wind whips his hair around, bringing its light December chill, cold enough to merit at least a jacket. Rin comes up behind him and tucks his scarf around Motoya’s neck. It’s still warm, and it smells like him.

“Don’t you need this?” Motoya asks, fingering the fabric.

“I like how it looks on you.”

“It clashes with my entire outfit.”

“Exactly.” Rin drops his tone. “But I do like seeing you in my clothes. It tells the world that you’re taken.”

Motoya stares him down. “You’re not allowed to say stuff like that anymore.”

Rin smirks. “Or what?”

Motoya reaches up on his tiptoes and kisses the smirk until it’s gone, Rin running his fingers through Motoya’s hair until a ferry honks at them. They break apart.

“Never had a ferry honk at me before,” Rin quips. “That’s new.”

“Might not have been us,” Motoya points out. They watch as the ferry pulls into the harbour.

“I’m telling Atsumu it happened. I think it’ll be funny.”

“You just want to rub it in that you have a boyfriend and he doesn’t.”

Rin rolls his eyes. “Fine. You’ve caught me again, happy now?”

“With you? Always.”

Rintarou texts Atsumu anyway. Motoya laughs at the reply, mostly along the lines of _blocked_ and _ur the worst person in the world,_ and _who messes up so badly that a ferry honks at you_?

“Yep. He’s totally jealous.”

Rin shoves his hands back into his jacket pockets. Motoya slides an arm in and affectionately leans his head on his shoulder, holding up his phone where Google Maps is preloaded. “I want egg waffles.”

Rinatarou's already fishing out his card from his back pocket. "Come on. What flavor?"

They walk to the stall, arms still interlocked. After a language blunder or two, money exchanges hands. The vendor hands him a paper bag with a golden egg waffle tucked inside, fresh off the press. Motoya nearly drops it but recovers and pinches the paper instead so he doesn’t burn his hands. He blows over the top, then breaks off a bubble and pops it into his mouth.

_Oh._

The first bite is crisp heaven giving way to soft, waffle flesh. Motoya closes his eyes and savors it, swirling his tongue around his mouth to make sure he doesn’t miss a crumb. When he opened his eyes, Rin’s already devoured half of his in one go. Motoya watches as the rest of it disappears in the second bite. He reaches out to Motoya, and Motoya swats him away.

“It’s mine,” Moyota says. “You can’t have any.”

“But you’re being slow,” Rin points out. “It looks like mine now.”

Motoya tries to hold it out of reach, but Rin is 4 cm taller(and will never let him live it down.) He easily snags a bubble off and eats it.

“ _Rinnn_.”

“I paid for them.”

“But it’s mine.”

“Boyfriend pass?”

Motoya takes a deep breath.

“If you don’t want it, I’ll take it.” Rin reaches out his hand again, expectant.

Motoya answers by shoving the rest of it in his mouth, taking quick breaths in another futile attempt to cool it down. _Very attractive,_ he thinks, swallowing. _This is the peak of beauty right here, him unceremoniously eating an egg waffle._

“I see.” Rin clicks his tongue, but he’s smiling. Motoya could get used to the view. Of Rin, not Hong Kong. “Well, you could have just said no.”

“What’s the fun in that?” Motoya winks at him. Rin sighs. The soft smile remains.

They take the last ferry back and board the Tsuen Wan line, stopping at Prince Edward station for their transfer when a sign catches Motoya’s eye. He distantly recalls seeing it the first time they’d stopped at the station. Now, it’s clearer, and he can make out the words.

_金魚街_  
_Goldfish Market_ → _  
_ This way 

“Rin — ” He points to the sign. It’s probably for tourists, but that’s what they are, tourists, and Motoya is very interested as to what pertains to a goldfish market. Rin raises an eyebrow. There’s a sigh mixed with a laugh, relenting. If there’s one thing above all else, Rin knows where to pick his battles. An essential skill when growing up with the Miyas.

“Lead the way.”

Motoya tugs on his hand and follows the sign until they reach a wide street of shops, lined with fishes and glittering lights, throwing scattered flickers on the ground. They walk the street up and down, admiring storefronts and confused fish swimming back and forth, confined in their little plastic bags.

"I want one." Motoya presses himself further into Rin's side, blowing a breath into the air and watching it dissipate.

"No, you want at least three. Don't lie to me."

"Please?"

"Motoya."

"Please?" They stop in the middle of the street. For a moment, he's sure that Rintarou's caved, finally, and the smile slips out before Motoya can stop it.

But Rin shakes his head, once. "No."

Around them, Cantonese words travel from stall to stall, words that Motoya doesn't understand but gets the gist of anyway, from the vigorous pointing to the tones, excited as they pick out what they want. The city is beautiful, and he allows himself, for a moment, to be swept away by the ambiance.

With a pout he doesn't really mean, Motoya pulls out his phone. Nearly drops it, from his cold hands. Rin plucks it out of the air just in time, another skill picked up from spending far too much time with the Miyas.

As day makes way for night, the sky glows gold, warm and welcoming in a syrupy haze. Rinatrou raises the phone with one hand. His other hand snakes its way to Motoya's, trapped in between their jackets, squeezing it tightly. The two of them beam up at the camera, like there's nowhere else they'd want to be. And it's the simple truth.

They don't have a definite plan. No itinerary, no travel books, no copious amounts of open, badly translated TripAdvisor tabs. So far, they've traveled from the north shore of Lantau Island to the inlands of the Kowloon peninsula, then across the harbor and back. 

Tomorrow, they're going to track down the best tea shop in the city for brunch, though that’s probably objective in its own right. Whatever. As long as it's good, he doesn’t quite care. _Maybe_ , Motoya muses, clinging to Rin’s sleeve, they'll cancel their flight back and take a ferry to Macau. Or head back home, then run away for a little bit longer, exploring Hokkaido, turn off their cell phones and lovingly ignore the outside world. They don’t have any commitments back home, nowhere else they need to be. Volleyball doesn’t start up until January. 

Right now, they've just got each other. That's all they need.

**Author's Note:**

> \- [Hayama Isshiki](https://www.google.com/maps/@35.2657231,139.5740052,3a,90y,199.45h,82.77t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipMiEAOoo268UVau8J8aanzZ8A4k5BmTmr5BozW8!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMiEAOoo268UVau8J8aanzZ8A4k5BmTmr5BozW8%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya186.77036-ro-0-fo100!7i8192!8i4096), where I imagine the Omihina wedding. It's probably a little further down to the left because what you see is a smaller portion of a beach, but I wanted you to see the sunset.  
> \- St Honore is a bakery/cake shop chain, they're all over the city. The turtle bread is very much real; dunno if they still sell it or not though.  
> \- Octopus cards: prepaid cards that work for the subway and most convenience stores.  
> \- Egg waffles: Waffles, that when made, look like little eggs or bubbles.  
> \- The goldfish market is a street of shops that sells goldfish and other small animals.  
> \- Lastly, please keep an eye on [what's happening in hong kong right now](https://standwithhongkong.carrd.co/#). I know there's a lot going on right now, so stay safe and stay informed.
> 
> This is your gentle reminder to drink some water, strech, take meds if you need to. <3  
> Thank you for reading! Talk to me about komosuna! (And omihina) on [tumblr](https://lumenera.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/lumenera_)


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